Amazon takes on Netflix with monthly Prime subscription in the US – will the UK follow suit?

Amazon has launched its latest broadside in its streaming war with Netflix – monthly Prime subscriptions.

Next-day delivery service Amazon Prime is now available in the US on a £10.99/month plan as well as $99/year basis. As regular Prime customers will know, alongside speedy deliveries of your online purchases, Amazon Prime account holders can access Prime Video (formerly known as Prime Instant Video, formerly known as LoveFilm Instant) for no extra cost.

Normally, Amazon Prime Video costs £5.99/month on its own, which is still cheaper than Netflix’s standard service and crucially for 4K petrolheads, Amazon doesn’t charge any more for its Ultra HD content.

The shopping giant is hoping that dangling free next-day deliveries will be the extra carrot needed to get Netflix folks to ditch their subscription in favour of an Amazon one.

Based on current exchange rates, $10.99/month converts to roughly £7.75/month. This means it’s slightly more than the £5.99/month currently charged for standalone Prime Video and a little more over 12 months than the current £79/year price for Amazon Prime, which is equivalent to £6.58/month.

As you can see from the screengrab above, the monthly rate doesn’t work out as well as the annual rate, but it’s a lot more flexible.